We couldn’t find any science museum in Istanbul, so we tried this history museum instead. The best thing about this museum was the building and artwork. There are great rugs on the walls (which didn’t seem to be part of any exhibit), and the building itself is interesting. It is long and narrow, built against a wall near the Topkapi Palace. Inside, the palace wall is exposed in several places.
We were disappointed with the exhibits. The objects were cool looking, but there was almost no explanation provided. Given that this is not a science museum, it is somewhat understandable that it didn’t go into how things worked. For example, there were scale models of huge sextants and other tools for astronomical observation, but no explanation of what a sextant is used for or how it works. But as a history museum, it also falls flat by not providing historical context for the significance of the inventions, discoveries, and feats of engineering on exhibit.
Rating: As this isn’t a science museum, we won’t assign a rating. Suffice it to say, at least admission is only $2.50.